"Byron Bay has many beautiful beaches and Whites Beach is just one of them, it's just tucked a little bit out of the way, that's why it's a hidden gem," she said.

Both Mr Riley and Ms Sanders said the drive along the dirt Seven Mile Beach Rd, no parking and the sometimes difficult to negotiate access track could pose problems if hordes of tourists flock to Whites Beach.

"It's off a dirt road and there's a sneaky little dirt track to get down there so it's not really for the tourist market," Mr Riley said.

"It's a dangerous road to get there; there is no parking or toilets and to get to the beach requires a trek through the rainforest," Ms Sanders said.

Other top 100 'secret' tourist destinations on the Northern Rivers were Bangalow, which ranked14th, and Kingscliff (61st).

Australian Traveller editor Georgia Rickard said the top 100 incredible travel secrets were selected by a panel of 11 travel experts from more than 1000 favourite "secret" entries from Australian Traveller readers, tourism operators, local and international tourists.